Foreign Friendships [open]

The staccato of cork gun pops stood out from the crowd’s general murmuring. Attracted by the whimsical noises Zoya’s blue eyes zeroed in on the source. The booth housed a shooting gallery of sorts, a ‘shateki’ game if she remembered the verbiage right. A few people were already lined up and playing repeating the popping sounds from earlier with their rifles. After moving closer to watch Zoya tried to guess what each player was aiming for amid the shelves and stands.

A cork sailed between a pair of anime character toys, fired by a little boy with a big energetic voice. The child’s reaction forced Zoya to cover her mouth with a hand to politely stifle her giggle as his nearby parents scolded him for his choice of words. Another cork smacked into a small penguin doll wearing a headband that sported the design of Japan’s flag. The fake animal toppled over in a satisfying manner. A third cork flew straight and true, impacting softly with the squishy body of a Pusheen plush. Zoya waited for it to fall over, but the stuffed toy refused to do so. The anticlimactic ending brought the woman’s brows together in concern as she looked to the Pusheen’s adversary.

The young girl appeared to have the focus of a monk with her dedication to the hunt. It was an endearing sight to see the brunette in all her festive glory trying so hard for something so cute. Raising a hand next to her mouth Zoya shouted some words of encouragement to the girl.

“Do not give up! The target is in your sights!” she said with a supportive smile.

Her calling out like that captured the attention of the man running the booth, and he applauded Zoya’s comment.

“Yes, yes! When you have your aim lined up, there’s no room for hesitation!” exclaimed the vendor as he waved Zoya closer. “Would you like to try, Miss? We have wonderful prizes!”

“Oh, me?” Zoya paused at the invitation, but quickly grinned and stepped forward. “You are going to regret that, sir!” Taking up the spot next to the young brunette Zoya pulled out a sunflower from her bouquet and placed it near the other girl’s winnings.

“For you,” she said with another friendly smile before continuing in her accented Japanese, “I wish for your success! Victory will be yours!”

There were more corks aimed at the delightfully plump kitty beyond the first that Zoya had witnessed, and although she had been momentarily distracted by the vendor she had noticed more than one hit their mark impotently. It was an unusual thing to see no doubt, but Zoya wanted to believe that the old man wouldn’t ruin the spirit of the festival. That’s what she wanted to believe, anyways. However, when the brunette smiled and thanked her for the sunflower, Zoya couldn’t help but feel conflicted at the thought of the other girl’s fun being cheated.

She smiled back and nodded at the stranger’s gratitude. The gravity of the situation suddenly took a sharp turn though when she noticed the not so subtle expression on the younger girl’s face. It was a look that she didn’t feel belonged on the brunette’s youthful face, but Zoya didn’t comment on that choosing to listen patiently instead. A single brow arched up thoughtfully as she picked up her gun, and she took her time stuffing a cork into its barrel to consider the proposed scheme. While she didn’t particularly care for the dubious tone, her gaze drifted back to the prey in question before the woman finally chuckled softly to herself with an easygoing smile.

“The kitty is yours if it falls,” she agreed quietly before shouldering her cork gun and taking aim. “..but, let me try my hand first, yes?”

Despite asking, Zoya didn’t wait for an answer, and she pulled the trigger. She was no sharpshooter by any stretch of the imagination, but the chonk was hardly a difficult target to hit. After her own cork rebounded off of the plush harmlessly Zoya lowered her gun with a soft sigh. Disappointment flashed across her expression distinctly for a few moments. She wasn’t saddened by the result of the shot itself. Rather, it was the implications the result had regarding the sanctity of the spirit of the festival, and the defiling of that spirit. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as they darted to the vendor, but then her relaxed smile returned as she waved at him.

“Excuse me! Sir? I think my gun is, uhm.. broken? I think the cork is getting stuck before it gets all the way down. I hit the target, but it did not fall,” she said in a disheartened tone. The man laughed a little and apologized for the trouble before coming closer to investigate. Zoya hummed as she plopped another cork into the gun and held it pointing up, careful to bring attention to the tip of the barrel with a pointing finger. “See?”

“Mmm,” murmured the man as he looked down at it. His gaze returned to Zoya as he shook his head. “Miss, it looks all the way down? Perhaps it wasn’t loaded properly on your first try?”

“Ohhh, maybe you are right,” replied Zoya with a sheepish smile before subtly tilting the cork gun towards the man as she let out a flustered chuckle. The popping noise it made after she pulled the trigger was innocent enough, although the cork smacking the man in the chin didn’t sound as pleasant. Nor did his cursing after the fact, either.

“Oh my god, are you okay?!” she asked in feigned panic as the vendor reeled back a step from the shot. “I am so sorry!” For the record, Zoya was earnestly apologetic for being so crude in her detective work, but she was still upset with the guy all the same. If the cork could make a full grown man take a step back, surely it would easily knock over a plush. Even a chonk like Pusheen. The man was fine of course, minus some reputation points as others stopped to stare at the commotion.

“It.. It’s fine, Miss! Accidents happen.. Please keep playing!” he said with a begrudging smile as he waved off the trouble, rubbing his jaw as he walked away.

Zoya reloaded a third cork as she eyed the man’s back, still slightly indignant about the whole affair. Hopefully, he would take this lesson to heart. The young woman shook her head to clear her thoughts before shouldering the cork gun once more.

“Apologies for the delay,” she said softly to the brunette girl as her supportive smile returned. “Shall we?”

"Vigilante justice?" echoed Zoya as she smiled sheepishly. She wasn't sure if she liked the sound of that phrase. That made it sound like she had done something incredibly dubious! Righteous, but ominous all the same! She didn't think that what she had done was that bad, honestly. She wouldn't have tried that kind of stunt with a real gun, that's for sure. "I am just happy to keep the festival spirit alive," she said simply as her smile widened in earnest.

Zoya nodded at the brunette's instructions, and casually shouldered her own cork gun. On the count of three she pulled the trigger, and both of their guns popped in unison. The projectiles sailed true, but were unsuccessful in toppling the hefty plushy. It did move though, so not all was lost!

"We cannot give up with the win so close," replied Zoya encouragingly as she reloaded. "Let us try again." Even though she was talking in a lowered tone the excitement was evident in her voice, as was the fire of determination in her eyes. She would not accept defeat in the face of the vendor's poor sportsmanship. And, truth be told she was enjoying herself helping the brunette, corny antics aside. Having fun like this is why she had come to the festival in the first place!

"Oh, my name is Zoya, by the way! A pleasure to meet you," said the woman with a cheerful smile. "May I know your name, so that I can congratulate you properly after we are victorious?"

To have heard the girl admit that joy had been brought to her because of Zoya’s intervention, that truly had given the woman’s already buoyant mood a considerable boost. Their first volley of corks although unsuccessful did nothing to deter the young women, and if anything it only seemed to strengthen their resolve. Proper introductions were shared between the two, and Zoya was pleasantly surprised to hear that her partner in crime, or shenanigans as Zoya preferred, had a foreign name. That brought up a few curious questions of course, but those could wait for now.

“That is a very pretty name!” admitted the older woman with a gentle smile. “Alright, ready when you are, Amy.” She braced the cork rifle against her shoulder like how her brothers had taught her how to shoot. There may not have been any recoil from the weapon when firing, but the muscle memory helped reassure her that even her distant family was with them right now and helping the cause. After she exhaled softly she pulled the trigger alongside Amy.

She felt her grip on the rifle tighten anxiously at the sound of the corks being launched. The projectiles then hit their mark together, and the adorable stuffed cat finally toppled over! Unable to contain her excitement Zoya shouted a cheer as she raised her gun in victory. The woman felt like a damned hero, but it was really Amelie’s win that she was celebrating. An eager grin creased her lips as she watched the brunette claim her prize.

When she was thanked Zoya’s smile turned sheepish once more for a moment. She leaned the cork gun back against a shoulder and gave Amelie a casual and curt salute with her free hand.

“Congratulations, Amy! I am always happy to help,” she replied with a friendly wink, “and since you already paid for the corks I consider that we are even, yes? Although, if you are hungry maybe we can split some mochi? I remember passing a food stall that looked very good.”

She put her gun back on the counter and picked up her bouquet of sunflowers, but was stopped by the game vendor calling out and holding something out to her. The man said he found it not far from the Pusheen toy, with nothing else having been knocked off the stands. The device looked like a child’s toy, with a small screen and a couple buttons. Zoya looked confused as she stared at it, not familiar with the item’s appearance.

“That is not what I was aiming for,” she confessed softly. However, as she looked around she found that only she and Amelie were left in front of the game booth. “..but, this might be my lucky night? Maybe my boyfriend would like this.” Zoya thanked the man and took the digivice, unaware of its dim screen lighting up at her touch.

“Well, shall we indulge in some sweets, Amy?” asked Zoya happily, jerking a thumb in the direction of the food stall she had seen earlier. The digivice’s screen remained illuminated, although if Zoya noticed it she didn’t seem concerned. It was a toy as far as she knew.

She was glad that Amelie agreed to the mochi idea. Zoya never did keep strict rules on favors or people being in debt to her. She helped because she had wanted to, and that was good enough for her! Even better, after the funny image of Amelie saluting while holding her chonk cat.

"We certainly did even the score with that man! Maybe next time he will play fairly, too!" said the older woman with a confident grin and nod. She then studied the odd toy she had won as Amy spoke of getting a gift for her boyfriend as well. 'Strange.. was this bug always here?' thought the woman to herself as she stared at the beetle pictured on the device's screen. Zoya slipped the item into the front of her yukata for now.

"If nothing comes to mind, festival food is always a winner for those who could not attend? But we will get our food first, yes!" she declared in agreement with Amelie's excitement for sweets. Zoya guided them through the crowd as she navigated to the mochi stand, not at all bothered by Amy's questions. If anything her expression lit up a bit, happy to have such pleasant company.

"Mmm, it has been about four years, now? Heh, my boyfriend Shun says my Japanese is still as bad as when I first moved here, but I think he just misses me asking him what everything means. He did that job too well, yes?" The obviously happy thoughts were putting Zoya in a good mood, evidenced by her cheerful smile. Her brows raised in surprise though as they talked about Japan's aesthetics. "It is a very gorgeous country, in all seasons, too! The cherry blossom trees remind me of home as well. It is a nice, warm feeling to feel so far away from Ukraine."

Zoya didn't even break or slow her stride when asked why she was here alone, not that she was walking fast at all. It just wasn't something to be sad about, at least in her opinion.

"I came with my coworkers, but they are with their own families now. Shun could not come tonight because of his work in the early morning. It is, uhm.. disappointing, yes? But, if one wants to enjoy the festival, one must go. So here I am!" The woman nodded resolutely with a playful look in her eyes. "And if I bring him something, I know it will make him happy to still be a part of this in some way."

But! Zoya wasn't here to talk about her own life story. At least not without it being requested. Thinking that they were on friendly terms with each other already, she wondered the same questions out loud about Amelie.

"How about yourself, Amy? What brings you to the festival? And are you a native here? As pretty as your name sounds, it does not sound Japanese?"

Amelie certainly had a valid point about the games vendor trying harder next time, but Zoya didn't seem too bothered by the concern. If anything she'd also try harder to show the man the error of his ways if he ever tried to cheat again! Her chat with the brunette was going pretty well, though; Zoya was more than happy to get to know her new friend better over dwelling on negativity.

They even had some things in common! Their boyfriends were no shows, but that wasn't going to stop the two young ladies from having fun tonight. It seemed that Amelie was a foreigner as well!

"To be honest it does not feel like four years have passed, but that is a good thing," she said happily with a nod. "Settling here was not bad at all! Ah, aside from the initial apprehensions, anyways." The older woman then cringed playfully as she chuckled at herself, saying, "Between you and me though, I admit my handwriting in Japanese is still terrible after four years! But do not tell Shun that."

Seriously, learning to speak a language had its challenges already. However, learning to write a language that had thousands of scribbled pictures outside of its alphabet? Zoya had thought her boyfriend was joking about kanji initially! Again the woman chuckled and shook her head.

"I am glad that you came out tonight, though," she said with an earnest and warm smile. "You look gorgeous in a yukata! Your boyfriend will be sad to have missed this, I am sure!"

As they waited in line at the mochi stand it came around to Amelie's turn to share her background. Zoya looked quite surprised to learn the brunette came from France. She had always heard of people wanting to travel to the country, but leave it? That was new to her.

"Huh, that is fancy, yeah," agreed Zoya with a nod, "your parents were very thoughtful with your name. They sound like very caring people. And from France, no less?! You must have some amazing stories! Especially with moving around so much, yes?" The white haired woman paused for a moment next to consider Amelie's questions about leaving the country.

"That," she began uncertainly with a thoughtful stare up at the stars, "..is something I do not know. But, not knowing that is not wrong, either. You know?" She glanced back to Amelie as a gleeful smile returned, and the woman shrugged.

"Home is where you feel at home. Japan. Ukraine. France. The country does not matter, only that feeling." With her free hand she gently patted her own chest above her heart for emphasis.

"Travel if you like the change of scenery; there is nothing wrong with that. Especially now since you are young. But do not forget that feeling of home, and that you can find it anywhere. That way, if you do find another country you want to live in, you will have no regrets. Only an exciting new chapter in your life!" Zoya gave the other woman a encouraging smile and nodded.

"For me, Japan feels like home. If that changes, then I will change, too."

She wasn't sure if her opinion on the matter was helpful, but that was her thoughts on the matter at any rate. And as she finished talking they finally made it to the front of the line! Zoya fished out her wallet from her sash as she called out to one of the workers.

"Uncle! Could we get six, please? Three of those pink ones, and," she paused and glanced to her companion, smiling eagerly. "What flavor would you like, Amelie?"